Thirteen Lune, the online beauty platform launched in December for Black- and Brown-owned brands, raised $1 million in funding.
WHO: Thirteen Lune, an e-commerce destination designed to inspire the discovery of beauty brands, was founded by Black and Brown women for all women, featuring products created exclusively for the beauty needs of Black and Brown people. Thirteen Lune is a result of a partnership between Nyakio Grieco, founder of Nyakio Beauty, which is based on her family’s African culture and traditions, and Patrick Herning, founder and CEO of size-inclusive e-commerce platform 11 Honoré. The business launched in December of 2020 to be a vehicle for change and a platform for authentic allyship where the voices of Black and Brown beauty founders are heard and celebrated.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “Through this capital that we raised, $1 million with our friends and family, and as we kick off our seed round, this is directed to the development and growth and scale of the site,” Thirteen Lune co-founder Patrick Herning told WWD. “For as much as it’s about Thirteen Lune growing, it’s about the greater ecosystem of Black and brown and ultimately ally-founded brands that will flip the script on what inclusive beauty retail means.”
“So many businesses and initiatives geared toward Black and brown founders are optically driven and don’t address the fundamental problem of helping these talented entrepreneurs build equitable businesses,” said Gwyneth Paltrow, actress and founder of Goop, in an exclusive statement to WWD. “Thirteen Lune’s mission is different: It puts the power in the hands of Black and brown consumers and founders to create generational wealth for business owners.”
Sean Combs said in a statement: “I believe in the Thirteen Lune mission to build generational wealth for Black and brown business owners. Nyakio and Patrick have the vision and grit to build a world-class platform, and I’m excited to be an investor and adviser.”
“Yes, these are obviously bold-faced names, but more importantly they are seasoned entrepreneurs and operators, many of whom have specific experience in the beauty space,” Herning said. “Whether you’re an A-list actor or a Grammy-winning performer, everyone around the table is picking up the phone and making things happen. This is not a vanity project for anybody. This is an opportunity for these investors and advisers to roll up their sleeves, dig in and really help build this alongside us.”
“We obviously experienced at this last pinnacle moment of Black Lives Matter a shift within the industry, and I’ve always felt that the fashion industry and beauty industry have a real huge opportunity and responsibility to be catalysts for change when it comes to inclusivity and unity,” Thirteen Lune co-founder Nyakio Grieco told WWD. “This change, this opportunity to raise $1 million in such a short period of time is a first for me as a Black woman but also, I feel that this business specifically has been so needed for so long.”
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